Connected Hearts
by Sorceress Shadow Rain
Summary: Farid and Meggie both realized one thing when they've met again after five long years, they belong together. Also, Inkheart and now Inkspell can be more dangerous than they thought. Lots of fluffs and exciting advantures. Some new character too.R&R!
1. tonight

If you guys like this idea, I'll continue it…please review!

Prologue

It was raining pretty hard. Meggie sat on the same stool in the same room and stared out at the same window five years ago when she first saw Dustfinger standing outside of her house. That was a long time ago. Meggie couldn't help but to sigh. She had missed him, Farid and even that finger-snapping marten, Gwin!

Whenever she couldn't sleep, she'll open her book and write another scene to her own story. That will help her to sleep better. She also missed Fenoglio so much, finally, three years ago, she persuade Mo to take her to Fenoglio's grandchildren. Paula had grown livelier and less shy, Rico was tall and calm. He seemed to take over her grandfather. Pippo, oh poor Pippo. He had grown less talkative and cautious over the two years and whenever a stranger walked towards him, he turned around and went the other way. I guess Basta really scared him.

Meggie sighed again. She couldn't sleep, not tonight. She had written her story until she had no more ideas to put down on paper. Now, the only thoughts she had was Farid. Where was he now? What was he doing? Did he ever miss his place where he came from? Meggie wanted so much to get these questions answered and she wanted to see him…very much.

Meggie turned her attention back to the dark night. Something was not the same as before. Looking more closely, she saw a figure standing alone in the dark night.

Could it be Dustfinger? Or…Farid?

No, it was only one person out there and Meggie was sure that Dustfinger won't leave Farid and Farid won't leave Dustfinger on such night as tonight.

"MO!" Meggie yelled. "I think someone is outside…again!"

A little suspense. I already started on the next chapter; I would give you a kiss if I could if you reviewed. So…see you on my reviewing list!

Kisses

Sorceress Shadow Rain


	2. Farid

Thanks for the support; I would love to hear from you again in the reviewing list.

Chapter 1

Mo lifted his head in question, "again?"

Meggie just nodded and kept the urge to drag him to the window and see for himself. Her mother raised an elegant eyebrow in silent question. Teresa was as pretty as ever, her hair was back as golden yellow, only her voice…

"Are you so sure? I hope it is not Dustfinger wanting troubles again!" Mo said as he rose from the chair. "Shall we?" he extended a hand to Teresa; she just shook her head and smiled.

"Are you sure you are not just dreaming?" Mo asked uncertainly to Meggie.

"No way!" Meggie shook her head. "Just come and look, Mo…please?"

"Alright."

When Mo got to the window, he frowned. "That doesn't look like Dustfinger, sweetheart. However, I can see who it is.

Meggie just nodded. "Could I come?"

Mo was at the door. "I…"

"Please?"

"Oh, alright." Mo sighed.

As Meggie made her way downstairs, she couldn't help but to feel curious. Who could it be other than Dustfinger? Capricorn's men?

Mo unbolted the door and to his surprise, a marten jumped in and started to lick himself. Meggie looked more closely; there was something very familiar about that animal, what was it?

"Mo, it is Gwin!"

"What? That's…possible." Mo concluded.

"Silvertongue?" a musical, masculine voice asked.

Mo backed away from the hooded figure, looking alert. Meggie knew what he was thinking, Capricorn's man? No one knew that name anymore except for Dustfinger and…

"Farid?" Meggie asked, carefully studied the hooded figure's shadowed face.

The hooded figure lifted his head up in surprise. "Meggie?" he almost whispered those words, it sounded so dedicated in his mouth, somehow, Meggie wanted him to say that again, with the same tenderness.

Meggie burst into tears. Farid moved into the house and automatically put an arm around her shoulder to comfort Meggie, she pushed him away and said in a voice as tiny as a mouse, "what…what about Dustfinger? Did…did he…?" Meggie didn't finish the sentence and didn't need to.

"No, nothing like that." Farid assured Meggie. "you know how he always love to go back to that book, so he got his wish and I think he is enjoying his life back in the book right now as we talk…"

"Hold on boy, you better start from beginning, I have a feeling that you have a lot to tell us." Mo said and tried to lead Farid to their family sitting room.

Farid didn't move. He stood there as if frozen. Then, a dedicate hand slid into his and a soft voice murmured. "Come on, Farid. Please join us."

Farid gave in, he planned to tell Silvertongue about Dustfinger and return the book, then he will go on with his life as a fire-magician. However he didn't count on his old memory, that same face that had haunted him for five years in his dream.

Slowly, he let Meggie take off his soaked-through rain jacket, then he allowed himself be led to the warm cozy family living room. A glance around showed that Gwin had already made himself at home in front of the cozy fireplace. Teresa had already prepared tea for his benefit. When he was seated, Teresa handed him some cookies and sweets, he devoured it all silently.

The family watched him patiently, after he was finished, they gave him enough time to digest.

"Farid, you can tell your story when you are ready." Mo said.

Meggie moved to the sofa beside him and laid a hand on his big and a little bit burnt ones.

Farid looked up, surprised; Meggie gave him a squeeze and stared into his eyes.

While the young people did all this, Mo and Teresa exchanged a wry glance, because that was how they first developed deep feelings for each other. On the opposite couch, Teresa slipped her hand into Mortimer's and leaned on his heavy shoulder to listen to Farid.

Wetting his lips Farid began. "It was late one day; we had already finished our performances, Dustfinger was teaching me something else when he suddenly looked past my shoulder and stopped talking. I turned to see who he was staring at, but the sidewalk was too busy and I couldn't see who he was staring. He grabbed me and stuffed some money into my hand and ordered me to buy some matches from the near market, I went…" he paused. Meggie sensed that he didn't finish his original sentence. "…and bought a big pack of matches and…and some small treat for myself and headed back. When I got to where he had lifted me, he was gone. I gathered up our packs and stuffs and looked for him, finally, I found him in a book store talking to a man I thought I recognized at first, but couldn't quite place him. I figured he was one of our audiences, so I didn't pay much attention to him because something else caught my immediate attention; Dustfinger was pushing Inkheart into the guy's hands, but he pushed it back, but Dustfinger said something and shoved it into the guy's chest. Finally, the guy gave in and opened the book. By the look of him, he was reading aloud. I couldn't believe it. Suddenly, Dustfinger was gone replaced by…"

Farid couldn't make himself to continue.

"Replaced by what?" Meggie asked him.

"Not what, it was whom!" Farid replied hoarsely.

"Then, whom?" Mo asked.

"May I have some more water?" Farid croaked.

Mo and Meggie exchanged a curious glance. Then Meggie got up and went into the kitchen.

Just a little bit of suspense…again. I hope you will keep reading this story; I have a lot more excitement coming up. Keep reviewing!

Thanks,

Sorceress Shadow Rain


	3. Basta, Flatnose, and Cockerell

Thanks for all the reviews that I got, keep it going! Enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 2

When Meggie was back from the kitchen and Farid finally ready to continue his bizarre experience again, everyone had a same question in their mind; who had came out of the book to replace Dustfinger?

"…It's…it's Basta and some of others. So I turned and fled…" Farid was interrupted by Meggie.

"Who are the others?"

"Let's see, Flatnose, and that Corkerell guy…"

"So, no Capricorn?"

"No Capricorn."

"No Shadow?"

"No Shadow."

"No Magpie?"

"No Magpie."

"No Fenoglio?"

"…No Fenoglio." Farid hesitated before answering.

He saw her face fell, he wanted to move closer to her and whispered good things in her ears to make her stop looking so sad and gave him the wonderful smile of hers…

"…earth to Farid!" Meggie's father was saying.

"Pardon me, sir?"

"I said, could you please continue with your story." Mo said patiently.

"Well, I didn't see what had happened to the reader, which is poor Darius. However, I think he have some senses of fleeing…with Eleanor." Farid continued. "That's when I packed up my things and fled myself. I decided that I would tell you what had happened and I will be on my way again."

"I knew that Eleanor was okay, she wrote to me the day after that, only she didn't mention anything of this sort." Mo was deep in thoughts.

Teresa gestured something and pushed over a piece of paper. Meggie read aloud, "Do you remember if anything was missing after those awful guys come out? There should be two more things missing to replace all of them."

"Let's see, Dustfinger was definitely missing. There are…oh, the bookstore keeper and her assistant, I remember now, I've seen the bookstore keeper leaning toward Darius, trying to peek at the book when he was reading. She was middle age and seems to be very interested at Inkheart. There was also the assistant, he is lean, dark hair and he was trying to get the bookstore keeper's attention."

"Oh, this is getting worst by the minute… Mo, please tell me this is a nightmare. I don't want to face Basta and his pals again, I can't do it! I just can't!" Meggie sobbed and wailed.

Farid couldn't resist anymore. Moving to the same sofa as Meggie, he put a gentle arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to his chest. "It's alright, you don't have to." Suddenly, a male protectiveness came over him and he almost made a decision; to stay with Meggie and protect her, but he had always wanted to get away from his past, how could he do that while the past was haunting him?

Teresa moved to the other side of Meggie, self consciously, he pulled his arm away and let Meggie's mother smooth her crying daughter. Mo mentioned for him to follow him into the drawing room. Farid obediently followed.

"Would you like to stay with us since you have no where to go?" Mo burst out the minute after the door was closed.

That invitation took Farid by surprise. "Uh…I don't know…" He was planning to travel around the continent for his own adventurous taste.

"Please stay until we put those crooks that came out of Inkheart back to where they belong. That's all I'm asking from you." Mo pleaded. "After all, they are the follower of a guy's heart as black as ink!"

"Why do you need me?" Farid was curious.

"You have the only thing that they are afraid of…fire." Mo replied. "Dustfinger taught you well."

Farid considered all this for a second. "Ok, I'll stay. But you must let me go when my task is complete."

"Deal." Mo seemed wanting to say something else, but it was interrupted by loud, inpatient knocks. "Now who would this could be?" Mo wondered aloud.

Meggie had got to the front door before Mo did, she was just about to open the door when Mo said, "Wait, let me do it."

Mo removed the lock and opened the door a crack, he saw the person standing on the porch and he let his breath out. However, he choked as he saw what they are wearing.

"Eleanor, Darius, what are you doing here and why are you in…in this type of clothes?" Mo exclaimed because they are only wearing their underclothes and a bath robe.

"Oh, it's awful…I…I don't know what to do. Please, you are all in danger, pack up and move at once! I should have told you this early. Oh…" The usual self-composed Eleanor was now sobbing frantically into Mortimer's shirt.

"Sit down and tell us what happened, Eleanor." Mo said seriously as he guided Eleanor into the house. Farid, Meggie and Darius followed silently.

Like this chapter? I'm trying to put more fluffs in but there is just too much excitement! I promise you guys more fluffs in the next chapter. Wait for me and ciao!

Thanks for the reviews,

Sorceress Shadow Rain


	4. Inkheart

I asked for Inkspell for Christmas, but I've read the summary, it does seem like the story I'm writing, huh? Cool, we had the same ideas. Anyways, thanks for all the reviews. They make me so happy. I'll reply as much as I can. For now, enjoy the story while you can! He he… (umm…I didn't have time to proofread, so don't bite my head off if you find lots of grammar mistakes…)

Chapter 3

"What happened?" Everyone was sitting at the living room, waiting for Elinor and Darius to talk. They were clothed and fed as best as Teresa could manage. (Because all Mortimer's shirt was several sizes bigger than the skinny Darius.)

"It's not Darius' fault, so don't blame Darius…" Elinor began hurriedly.

"It's mine fault, alright. I shouldn't have done what he asked." Darius cut in bitterly.

"Don't say that, Darius dear. It's not your fault! Stop saying it is. What if it is your fault? The damage was already done. Could you reverse it? No. Then stop wallowing in self-pity, the important thing is to make the best out of what we've got here." Elinor said with all the confidence she had left in her. Darius closed his mouth and sat there solemnly.

"Well said, Elinor! I agree. Since we no longer have Inkheart, I have no idea how we are going to send the three of our enemies back into the story nor do we know their intensions in this world. However, let's not talk about this topic right now. Elinor, I believe you have something to tell us." Mo stood up, stretched and sat down again.

"How did you know about Basta, Flatnose and that awful Cockerell?" Elinor stared at Mo in wonder and amazement, temporarily forgot her fears.

"That brave lad run here and told us." Mo gestured at Farid and he lowered his head a bit in embarrassment. Meggie thought he looked rather cute this way.

"Father…"

"…Meggie, what's with the 'Father' thing? You've never called me that before!" Mo turned toward her in surprise.

"…and it won't hurt to start now. You are way off topic, Mo." Meggie gave one of her best smile to both Mo and Farid.

"Mortimer, one more question, how did you know we dropped the book that day and run?" Elinor inquired.

"I just guessed, seeing you without Inkheart and warned us to leave was the first thing you had said and it gives me a conclusion that something went wrong with Inkheart. But, this is bad, you know, our enemy probably has it…" Mo's voice trailed off.

"I think you don't need to worry about that. I have Inkheart and another book." A soft voice spoke into the circle. Meggie's heart skipped a beat upon hearing it. She remembered the same voice calling out her name so softly; she wanted to hear it again and again. She turned her eyes toward him and she caught Farid moving his eyes away from her direction. She was both overjoyed and hurt.

"I picked up Inkheart when I was leaving." Farid held out an edition of Inkheart. Teresa clasped her hands to her breast. There is no doubt that this is the only edition of Inkheart that is left in the world.

Mo flip opened the page and started to scan the contents.

Meggie glanced over toward Farid again. He wasn't the skinny, quiet boy that she remembered him by, but a handsome, muscular, broad shoulder guy with a demure voice.

"…It's Inkheart alright." Mo finally said, closing the book and place it on the center table. "We have deleted Elinor's story long enough. I wanted to hear it."

"Right." Gathering her courage, Elinor began. "I was looking at some rare edition of my favorite author when I heard Darius arguing with someone. I went to his aid and was surprised to see Dustfinger there with Inkheart in his hand. The argument had drawn a small crowd. I was more surprised when he demanded that Darius to read him back into the book. He said that he doesn't care if he went back there with a broken limb or lost voice, he just wanted to go back." She sighed. "Of course, Darius refused, but he threatened to burn the whole building down with all those precious books. It's the choice between risking letting out Capricorn or those precious book collections. I guess our fears had not been as great as it was 5 years ago. We made a mistake on choosing to risk letting out Capricorn. As I had said earlier, the three people that were let out were Basta, Flatnose and Cockerell. Darius was not as good as you, Mortimer, so they all have something weird about them. Basta lost his voice, Flatnose is three times smaller than he should be and Cockerell, well, he has an extra short tail and horns on his head.

Despite the danger, everyone burst out laughing.

"I couldn't wait to see them!" Meggie said. For the first time, she heard the deep, whole-throated chuckle that came from Farid, she made a mistake on glancing at him and she found herself attracted to him. _He is so handsome! He is becoming a man of my dream or perhaps exceed that!_ Meggie thought with a pang of guilt._ He would never take a girlfriend like herself, probably going for the older girls, more mature or something like that._

When everyone finished laughing, Elinor continued her story. "We dropped the books and ran. I had a business meeting at the next town so Darius and I went here for an extra week. Finally, we came back to my house…" She broke into a series of loud sobs. Teresa moved closer to comfort her sister. Darius carried on the story. "The garden was silent. We saw a lot of broken glass, probably came from the glass men, and other things that suggest an intruder. Every creature that came out of Shadow was hiding or they vanished. Then we saw a clearing where the house should have been. They've burnt down Elinor's house!"

"My books, my children, oh…" Elinor cried. "They did it twice, TWICE! They broke my heart, why does all this happens to me!" Elinor lost her coolness and sobbed into Teresa's night gown.

No ones said anything for a long time; they are all in their own deep thought. Finally, Farid announced, "I have a surprise to announce." Everyone's attention snapped to him. Farid looked at everyone, lingered his gaze at Meggie's beautiful upturned face and that have a pair of special warmth to it. Forcing himself to look away, he pulled out a big blue-covered book out of his ragged backpack.

"This came out with Basta and the others. At first, I thought that was Inkheart, so I stuff it in my backpack. Then I saw the real Inkheart a minute later; I don't have time to spare then, so I stuffed it inside too, along with this book. I can't read well, but I recognized something familiar about it. Silvertongue, please take a look." Farid said as he handed the book to Meggie's father. He took a look at the outside of the book and frowned.

"No cover page or illustration. Worn out by the spine and edges. The owner of this book should be more careful with this."

Upon opening the book and flipping through its content, Mo's frown deepened. "It's all handwritten!"

"Who's the author and what's its title, Mo?" Meggie asked with a great curiosity. By the gleam in her eyes, she has an accurate guess.

"No publisher or location. Of course, it came from Inkheart, what was I thinking? It is all in English and modern language though. This story is not finished, too." Mo murmured to himself, apparently not hearing his daughter.

Finally, he turned to the front of the book and search for the book's title and author. Everyone leaned forward, even the hiccupping Elinor.

"It's called…" Mo's eyes grew huge.

Ok, that's all for chapter 3. I know I'm making the events happen a little bit too fast, but I think it will get better when I actually started the action. I hope you like it and take a guess of the mystery book's name in the review. I'm pretty sure it is pretty obvious! I'll update next week. PROMISE! (I slacked off a bit but...)

Kisses…

Sorceress Shadow Rain

Ps. sorry about the promise of more fluff, but I've already halfway through the next chapter and it got some great fluffs! I'll give you a head up… (Farid&Meggie shared their first kiss under the moonlight…by accident!)


	5. Villians on the Beach

**I am extremely sorry that I haven't been updating (bow, bow, forgive me, please!). Spring Break is coming up so I'm able to write more. Meanwhile, enjoy this chapter! (Romance included! )**

Chapter 4

"It's called…" Mo's eyes grew huge, "…Inkspell! The sequel to Inkheart!"

"Inkspell! Who wrote it? Fenoglio?" Meggie asked her father eagerly.

"Yes, yes! It is by Fenoglio! This must have come out with Basta and the other two!" Mo said excitedly.

"Oh, we have to safe guard it. Basta will come for Inkheart for sure. Then he will find out that there is a sequel to Inkheart. We cannot stay here; they know we are coming here. Oh, I should never…" Elinor wailed.

Resa got up and led Elinor gently out of the room. They were followed by Darius.

"May I?" Meggie asked her father.

"Sure." Mo reluctantly took his eyes off the exquisite cover.

Meggie flipped through the book quickly and scanned the contents. "Ummm… Fenoglio out did himself!" Gently, she closed the book. "May I keep it safe for tonight? I want to read it."

"As long as you keep it safe!" Mo cautioned.

"I promise." Meggie said.

"Well then, I guess I'll have to wait for my turn to read the book!" He gave his daughter a goodnight kiss and walked toward the door.

"Oh, Farid, do you mind sleeping on the couch for tonight?" Mo asked. "It's a sofa-bed."

"No problem!" Farid said.

"Good. I guess I'll see you two in the morning. And Meggie, do try to get some sleep!"

"Yes sir."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Mo turned and left the room. Meggie waited for a couple of seconds before quickly sat down beside Farid.

"What did you and Dustfinger do for the last four years? Tell me!" Meggie asked eagerly.

"Well, for the starter, we travel for a long time, through villages and hills…" Farid began telling Meggie the adventures that he had been through, omitting parts about village girls' show of affections. Soon, he found Meggie asleep on his lap.

He smiled and thought that she looked innocent and peaceful when she was asleep. He watched her for awhile then curled up beside her. Sleep found him easily and soon, he was dreaming.

Meggie woke. She checked the clock on the wall; 3:30 am. She couldn't sleep so she decided to take a walk by the beach.

Carefully, she tried to sit up and was surprised to find Farid's arm around her. _I must have had fallen asleep while he was talking to me. What a bad audience I was!_ She laid back down again to enjoy the warm, safe feeling that those arms were giving her. The only other person who can make her to feel that way was Mo's special hugs, but she believed Farid's arm was more comforting.

She turned her head to look at Farid; he seemed asleep. Slowly, Meggie took in the look of his face, his strong body muscles and the roughness of his skin from being outside for so long. Their face was just inches apart, and for a second, she can almost imagine his mouth brush pass hers. She was tempted to try, but lost courage at the last minute. Meggie shook her head to get out of her daydreaming state. _He probably had a girlfriend somewhere,_ Meggie thought. _He was not telling me something when he described his visit to those villages earlier. I really should take a walk and clear my head! It has been muddy ever since Farid arrived. _

Slowly, she pushed his arms away from her body. The warmth that she felt a minute ago was leaving her. Farid grunted and flipped over onto his back. She stared at him for awhile, trying to decide if he was truly awake or not. Finally, she flipped off the sofa, and smoothed down her winkled dress. Seeing Inkspell lying on the coffee table, she decided to hide it.

After finding an appropriate spot, she found herself once again facing the sofa Farid was sleeping on. She felt an urge to kiss him, to feel the way he held her again. Unable to control her feeling, she bent down towards the sleeping form.

"Ugh, where is that stupid book woman and that lousy book reader?" Basta grunted. He had lost his voice but he found that he can only speak when the sun had gone down. They were walking down a slope. "And where does this stupid trail leads?"

"Probably to our prey!" Flatnose laughed. He was sitting between Cockerell's newly discovered horns.

"I really feel like fighting right now." Cockerell grunted as his short tail unconsciously whipped him again.

"Shut up, you two. I think I hear something. Flatnose, go ahead and have a look." Basta ordered.

"Hey, why me?" Flatnose argued.

"Just shut up and go!" Basta hollered as his hand unconsciously reached for the lucky charm that was around his neck.

"Okay, okay. When did you learn to order people around?" Flatnose mumbled under his breath.

"Oh? Did you say something, Shortie?" Basta leaned closer to Flatnose and showed the tip of his blade.

"Um…Yes, I mean no. I meant, I did say something, but it's not what you think I said…"

"So what did I think you said?"

"Umm… I should probably get going here. You know, to check what's ahead of us and stuff…"

Flatnose dashed off as soon as he can and came back breathless.

"It's…it's the ocean, the sea. And I think I see someone walking along the shore!"

"Oh?" Cockerell raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you are not hallucinating? Who would be out _walking_ at this hour?"

"Go check it out if you don't believe me." Flatnose said defensively.

"We will." Basta butted in. "Let's get moving!"

Meggie was about to kiss Farid but, at the last minute, she caught herself. Shaking her head, she quickly left the room.

Farid opened his eyes. For a moment, he thought she was going to kiss him. He was planning to surprise her by kissing her back because he too, cannot control his feelings. Old flames that had been smothered in his heart long time ago now flared up so high to a point that he cannot control. Was this how love felt like?

Running along the shore, Meggie felt her mind cleared and her feeling was under control once more. She slowed down her pace. What was she about to do back there? She had no idea. The feeling that drives her to that point was so powerful that she no longer felt like herself.

The wind picked up and that was when Meggie realized that she had forgotten to bring her jacket. Shivering, she turned around and started back to the house. Appearing out of no where, two shadows blocked her way.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? It's Silvertongue's sweet little daughter. She hasn't changed much since the last time we saw her, heh?" A nasty, familiar voice called out.

"Nope. I thought we are going to have a little bit of hard time recognizing her, but I was wrong, she was as beautiful as that silent maid Capricorn used to favor. What was her name?" A high-pitched voice called out.

"Now, let us make her _less_ beautiful, shall we?"

Meggie saw a glint of something. At once, she knew what it was. Terrified, she backed up a couple of steps. "I…I thought you lost your voice."

"Only at daytime sweetheart."

"Where…where is Flatnose?"

"Over here, do you recognize me? So good for you to care!"

Meggie glanced down towards her foot to see a midget looking back at her. She recognized that flat nose at once. Giving off a little scream, she backed up a few more steps.

"Ah… Such a beautiful voice. I never dreamed to hear it again. Maybe we can silence that deadly voice once for all. What do you say?"

"I'll say that's a wonderful idea! Capricorn will love it…if he is still alive!" Cockerell cracked up.

"No, no." Meggie was about to shout, but her voice abandoned her at the last minute.

Turning away from the shadows, she ran away blindly. All she cared about now was to get away from them, get as far away as possible. It wasn't until the first wave hit her before she realized that she was running straight into the water.

"Hey, where ya going?" A faint voice could be heard before another wave crushed down on her.

The ground gradually gave away beneath her feet. She struggled to stay on top of the water, but a wave hit her hard and she felt herself being suck down into the depth. With her last consciousness, she shouted the only word she can think of in her head; 'FARID.'

**Meggie's life is depending on you! I'll try to update soon. But I'll need your support. Thanks for those who reviewed. Sorry that I was too busy to reply, but this is all I can promise you right now; I'll try to update within the next month or you can have my…my…new CD player (holding out the CD player). Deal? Don't forget to catch my next chapter. (Hint: mouth-to-mouth rescue. Duh!)**

**See ya soon!**

**Sorceress Shadow Rain**


	6. Villians into the house

**_AHHH! I am such an idiot! I wrote this chapter like a month ago and I thought I put on Fanfiction. Apparently not! I just checked Fanfiction today and look what I found! Either there was something wrong with the system or I never put it on in the first place. What an idiot I am! I am so sorry. Here is your next chapter!_**

Chapter5

"FARID!"

Farid sat up from the sofa he was lying on. Did he just imagine someone calling his name or was it real? He thought it might be just a dream because it was already four thirty in the morning and he didn't get any sleep in the last twenty-four hours!

He traveled back to what he was doing before he fell asleep; oh yeah, Meggie was just about to kiss him and every time he thought about that, his heart started to beat very fast. Sure, he had kissed some girls in the village who had fancied him. However, Meggie was not the same. Meggie was like an old fire rising up again. When he left Meggie that day in the forest after their ordeal in Capricorn's village, he thought he gave up on her. Now he knew he never did.

Carefully, he sat up, knowing fully well that he won't be able to sleep any more tonight. A stick snapped outside. Instantly, Farid froze. He didn't even know why he was so tense but he felt he needed to be alert.

Slowly, he got up and tried to peer out of the window. There was nothing there! All he saw were some trees in the back yard and a shed which was Mo's workshop.

A shadow moved among the trees and another branch snapped in two. It was followed by curses and a 'bonk'. Suddenly, the shadow moved out of the trees and came near the house. Farid quickly closed the curtain and dropped onto the floor. He had realized who those shadows were.

_I should be safe. The front door and the windows are locked. What about the back door? It should be locked too. Ummm…wait a second. Meggie is still outside and when she went outside… _Farid realized with dread. Meggie was still out there and the back door was not locked. He would have to lock the back door to protect five people (including himself) and leave Meggie to deal with Basta by herself!

But if he didn't lock the door, the books would be stolen and that will be end of Dustfinger. Farid can't have that either.

He was deciding on what to do when he saw the shadows passed over the window he was just peeking out. _Oh no!_ Farid thought. _They are coming in!_

Farid got on to his hands and knees and crawled to the back door. As he reached up to turn the lock, he froze. The handle was turning slowly. Without thinking, he crawled under the nearest table quickly and tried to find something that could defend himself with.

Suddenly, the whole living room's light went on and coming down the stairs was Elinor. At the same time, Basta pushed the back door open. Those two stared at each other for a moment before Basta smiled and pulled out a knife. Elinor screamed so loud that Farid's ears hurt. He can see that Basta and Cockerell were covering up their ears too and bending down low.

Farid came out from under the table, grabbed a chair and smashed down on Basta's head. Basta fell over and bumped into Cockerell. Grabbing what ever he can find, Farid reached for a vase and smashed down on Cockerell. They both tipped backwards and off the porch. Farid sighed, then closed the door and locked it. By now, Resa, Mo and Darius were on the stairs, gazing at the backdoor, speechless.

Farid froze as he caught a small movement in the corner of his eyes. Flatnose. Farid quickly realized that there was still another intruder in the house. He silently counted to ten as he aimed at the little thing darting between the chairs.

…Nine…Ten. Farid throw the rest of the broken vase at Flatnose. The shout was followed by a scatter of the vase. Swiftly, Farid moved towards the corner where he threw the vase and saw a midget lying on his back, apparently, knocked out. Holding it by one arm, Farid opened the window and flung him out.

As soon as he locked the window again, the same dread he had when he realized that Meggie was still out there came. He stood there and hope that it will pass. Next thing he knew, someone was shaking him and asking questions.

"…Meggie?" Mo was asking.

"What?" Farid forced himself to focus.

"WHERE IS MEGGIE?" Mo shouted, close to exploding.

Resa put a hand on his shoulder.

"I…I don't…know. I don't know, but I think she is still outside." Farid felt more like himself now.

"God damn it! Open the door, I'm going out!" Mo walked towards the door.

"No!" Farid said, "They are still out there…"

"I don't care! They can come at me all they want, but I'm going out there to make sure that my little girl is safe!" Mo was shouting.

"Fine, then," Said Farid calmly. "Don't care about yourself. Care about your wife and your sister-in-law. If you open the door, Basta will kill you and your wife and the rest of us. However, there is still a chance that Meggie realized what's going on and is hiding near the beach or something like that. Which one do you chose?"

"What! Are you saying that you don't care about Meggie? I know you have a thing or two for her."

Those words stung Farid's heart. "I did not say that. I will go out with you, but not through the back door."

"No. You will be staying here!" Mo commanded.

"No, I will go." Farid said softly. He turned around and left the room, heading for the front door.

A moment later, Mortimer followed. Even though he was afraid; of the darkness, of Basta and his little gang, but most of all, for his beloved daughter, Meggie. He did not mean to yell at Farid, but his fear was so great to a point that the only thing that can keep it in control was to yell or spent some energy.

Bravely, he stepped out of the door, kissed his wife and went down the driveway. He would take the long way around, trying to avoid seeing his nightmares again.

The sky was already lit by the first ray of the sun as he picked his way onto the beach. Looking around, he immediately spotted Farid, walking towards the sun a couple of meters to the right, so he decided to go left. It was not far before he heard a shout.

Farid was walking on the shore line, deep in thought. He was very worried about Meggie. She had been out for two hours and hadn't returned. Especially now that he pieced together what had happened for the last couple of hours, he realized that he was not imagining Meggie's voice calling him. It probably happened for real. Meggie just want to warn him about Basta.

He passed a wood, drifting on the surface. It was one of the woods that were used for barbeque in the summer. However, it had a weird shape to it.

Drifting out of his thoughts, Farid made himself focus and saw a piece of shirt that Meggie was wearing last night behind the floating wood. _Oh no, oh no, no, no, no, no!_ Farid thought. Quickly, he waded over toward the wood and grab hold of it. The water was icy cold and it numbed his legs, slowing his movements down. As he turned the wood over, he saw with relieve that Meggie was facing upward. _At least she didn't drown._

Farid looked closer. Her pocket was stuck on a nail that was sticking out of the wood. That was what kept her afloat. Farid untangled her and tried to carry her back toward the shore, but his legs felt heavy, very heavy.

Farid slipped. With a shout, he struggled upwards, carrying Meggie on his back. Slowly, between dragging and carrying, somehow, he managed to come ashore. Mo arrived as he dragged her out of the water and flop down on the sand beside Meggie. Mo felt Meggie's pulse, it was weak.

"I'll go and fetch some towels and some help. You stay here and rest. If you can, try to keep her warm." With that, Mo dashed off.

Farid lie on his back and felt the strength returned to him. He got onto his knees and crawled over to Meggie. Her face was snow white and her lips were blue. Her breathing came out shallow.

This won't do! Farid thought. She can't wait for Silvertongue!

A solution popped into his mind, but Farid didn't like the thought. He was not those guys who like to take advantage of an unconscious woman.

_This is special. It is urgent_. Farid thought.

So he carefully plugged Meggie's nose, tip her head upwards and…

His lips touched Meggie's freezing cold ones. It made him shudder. He ignored that and breathed into Meggie's parted lips.

1…2…3…4…5… Breathe. 1…2…3…4…5… Breathe.

Suddenly, Meggie choked and coughed. Then, she went still. Deadly still.

_Oh God, did I just make her worse than she already is?_

**That's it for this chapter. I'll try to update. But first, I would like to hear what you say about it. I can end this story right now and leave Meggie dead, or I can continue on… It is your choice! Until next time…**

**Love&Kisses**

**Sorceress Shadow Rain**_ting out of his thoughts, Farid made himself focus and saw a piece of shirt that Meggie was wearing last night behind the fl did not mean, but most of all, for his beloved daughter, Meggie. darkness, of Basta and d went. _


	7. Bye bye Farid

**I've been kind of down lately. I am so sorry for not updating. I hope you will forgive me! Here is another hour of work. Enjoy this chapter, guys!**

Chapter6

_What have I done?_ Farid asked himself as he felt for a pulse anywhere on Meggie's wrist or neck. _What have I done?_

(Meggie)

_Choking…water…light…LIGHT? Where did the light come from? Soft…something soft…warm…caring…love? Could it be…Farid? No Farid…don't come…they are here…they are after us…run! I must warn him…I must live to warn him!_

As Mo ran up to the house, there wahere iu ne thing in mind.om? s only one thing on his mind: Save Meggie. Without thinking, he ran up to the door and turned the knob. It didn't open and he smashed right into the door.

"Damn…never mind…Resa…Honey…Open the door. It's me!" Mo shouted, his voice hoarse.

The door opened slowly and Elinor poked out her head. "Oh it's you…" She didn't get to finish as Mo rushed pass her and down the hall.

"Good Lord…what's the matter?" Elinor asked hurrying after Mo like a bumble bee. "Oh dear, you got wet. And where are Maggie and that good looking young man?"

"They are down at the beach." Mo said, poking his head into a hallway closet. "Darn it, where are the towels when I need it?"

A hand poked his side and Mo spun around.

"Thank you dear. But I'm afraid you need to find more for Meggie."

Resa raised an eyebrow in questioning.

"It's a long story." Resa handed Mo a few more towels and put one lovingly on his back. "Thank you. Wait for me; I'll be back with Meggie."

Resa nodded as Mo flied through the door with towels in hand.

Down at the beach, Farid was fighting back tear. Seeing Meggie so cold and white had scared him. But it hurt him even more. It was almost like that time when Dustfinger suddenly disappeared, leaving him alone in this world. He felt…sad…lonely…confused…and scared. Now, as the waves of emotions overcame him, he could not hold back anymore. One drop of tear slipped down his face and dropped right between his hand which was holding Meggie's snow white one. He glanced down, surprised.

The moment was interrupted by the arrival of Mo with a huge stack of blankets piled in his arms. "Here boy, wrap her up and let's get her warm up a bit."

Mo handed Farid a couple of towels. Farid didn't move and Mo didn't notice.

"Come on, we've got to get her inside, or she'll freeze." Mo worked frantically, trying to warm Meggie up.

Farid still didn't move.

Mo picked Meggie up and started to run back toward the house.

"Boy, Farid… Come on! You will catch a cold sitting out here like this. Go pray for Meggie inside!" Mo turned around and sprinted out of sight, leaving Farid kneeling on the sandy beach, staring at nothingness.

"I…I love you, Meggie. I love you. Why did you die? Why didn't I tell you this earlier?" Farid whispered.

There are no more tears to shed. Slowly, he got up and walked away from the direction where he came. He no longer cared where he would end up.

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Meggie opened her eyes slowly. A wave of pain and nausea hit her. She quickly shut her eyes.

A cool hand was laid on her forehead. "Mo? Mom? Farid?"

Meggie tried again to open her eyes. She succeeded and saw Resa gently stroking her forehead. Resa smiled sweetly.

"Did Basta get any of you?"

Resa's face blanked as if she didn't understand Meggie. Then she smiled and shook her head.

"Good." Meggie closed her eyes. Somehow, she knew that Resa was not telling her something. Slowly, she fell into a deep sleep again. This time, she dreamed of Farid. He was waving at her. She ran towards him and into his arms.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meggie woke with a fresh and happy feeling. She sat up slowly and noticed for the first time that she was back in her room. Last night's events rushing back at her. Was it last night? She couldn't remember. However, that didn't ruin her good mood. Her dream was still fresh on her mind.

Flipping away the cover, she got to the edge of the bed and stood up. Her legs felt shaky but it was alright. As she slowly made her way down the halls and the stairs, she smelled the familiar smell of Resa's famous pancake. That made her very hungry.

As she poked her head into the kitchen, she saw Mo and Resa eating breakfast. Elinor was doing some stitching and Darius was reading the newspaper.

"Um…hi everyone." Meggie stepped into the door way.

Everyone looked up. Mo set down his fork, Resa turned and smiled. Elinor put down her fabric and rushed over to embrace her and Darius peeked over the top of his newspaper and said a soft "hi".

"Are you alright now, sweety? You cannot believe how much you scared the heck out of us when we saw you so cold and white!" Elinor blabbed. "Oh you poor dear, you've been sleeping for three whole days! You must be hungry. Here are some pancakes for you and go join your parents."

"Thank you, Aunt Elinor."

Meggie picked up her plate and sat down next to Resa.

"Are you feeling okay?" Mo asked.

"I'm fine dad. Who found me?" Meggie said as she dug into her pancakes.

There was a short silence and Mo answered. "Farid did. He went into the ocean and pulled you out. He almost didn't make it."

Meggie glanced up. "Where…where is he now? I want to thank him."

"He…finish your breakfast and we will talk." Mo answered gently.

Meggie put down her fork. Suddenly, all of the hunger she felt a moment before was forgotten as she stared straight into his father's eyes. Mo was never good at hiding stuff.

"What happened? Tell me. I want to know now." Meggie's voice was soft but her tone was commanding.

"Long story short," Mo paused, "I think he left us again."

There was one flash of anger in Meggie's eyes and then sadness settled in. She slumped over and asked again. "What happened?"

"Sweety, maybe you should finish…"Elinor cut in.

"What happened?" Meggie asked louder. "Somebody please tell me why he left."

"To tell you the truth, I don't know. He left behind all his clothes and stuff. That morning after he pulled you out of the water, he was acting…very strangely. I was in a rush to get you to a place warmer and I didn't notice that he didn't follow me home. It was after the doctor came and said that you were okay and your regular pulse was back when I noticed that he wasn't there. I went out looking for him but I didn't find him." Mo said.

Meggie looked away. She had been looking forward to see Farid. That night was so romantic that was almost embarrassing to think about. Now he was gone and she never ever got to say a good-bye to him. Or even thanked him for risking his life for her. She felt very cold inside of her heart.

"Meggie… please understand that we are trying to find him." Mo said.

"Of course." Meggie said and stood up. "I'm not hungry anymore. I'm going up to my room."

She forced a smile on her face and picked up the plate.

"Hey…check out this story…" Darius said and pointed for Elinor to look.

"Stop it Darius, don't try to change the subject…" Elinor said impatiently.

"No really. 'Fire accident involving teenage boy'" Darius read. "It said that yesterday, a fire broke out and it injured many. It also said that a teenage boy was playing with fire and many people stopped by and watch. Then he accidentally tipped over a mystery substance that led to a big explosion. Thankfully no one was killed but the boy was no where to be found. People think he was dead…"

_Crash!_ Meggie's plate broke. She was staring out at Darius, on the edge of tears.

**There is another chapter. I don't know when I will update again but when I get 10 reviews, I will probably update. Thanks for reading this chapter!**

**Love & Kisses,**

**Sorceress Shadow Rain**


	8. Close Call

**_I am EXTREMELY sorry that I do not update sooner. My computer crashes several times during the time that I'm writing this chapter. I feel like that I can remember every single word in here LOL. Enough chitchatting, enjoy this chapter._**

_Crash!_ Meggie's plate broke. She was staring out at Darius, on the edge of tears.

Chapter 7

"Oh Hon, don't worry about it, it's probably somebody else. You know there are a lot of teenage boys out there that loves to play with fire…" Elinor came rushing over to clean up the mess.

"Stop…" Meggie whispered, half to herself.

"…Farid will be fine. We will find Farid and you will see that he is safe and sound…"

"Stop it! STOP IT, EVERYONE!" Meggie shouted. Everyone went quiet. "Stop treating me like a child, stop fooling with me. Stop telling me stuff that is not true. I know it's Farid. I don't want to lie to myself anymore." Sobbing, Meggie fell heavily on her knees. Pieces from her fallen plate cut through her jeans and dug deep into her flesh. However, she never noticed or cared.

Everyone froze in their place. Nobody knew what to do or what to say. Finally, Resa came over and hugged Meggie by the shoulder and started rocking her like she did when Meggie was young.

Five…ten minutes went pass. Nobody moved and Meggie's sob gradually died down. Resa looked up and nodded to Mo.

"Sweetheart…" Mo started, only to be cut off by Meggie.

"Why? I…I can't get up. I want to get up!" Meggie stared frantically at her knees as if she could somehow make them move. "I can't move." She looked up as Mo came by her side and gently lift her up from the ground. Meggie screamed as the shreds of the plate moved.

"Let's take her up to her room." Mo said and Resa nodded, opening the door for him.

Meggie didn't know if she had fell sleep or fainted from the pain. Either way, she passed out before they got to her room.

The birds were singing when Meggie awoke. She was in bed with thick bandages. Her body hurt all over, but the greatest pain was inside of her.

A scar. Untouchable.

Meggie didn't want to remember how she got the cuts, didn't want to remember what day it was, and didn't want to remember the true reason why she didn't want to remember.

It just hurt too much. Way too much.

Painfully, she reached up to a shelf full of books. Without thinking, she grabbed one and brought it down. Inkspell. It read.

Someone must have found it and put it in her room. Reaching up one more time, she found the book she was looking for.

Inkheart.

Heart as black as ink.

Capricorn. The best villain ever.

Just reading the name brought back more memories she didn't want to remember. However, her fingers weren't listening to her command. They opened the book for her and without realizing this; she scanned the familiar contents and started to whisper the words.

Desperate to escape all her worries in this world, she unconsciously turned one page after another, the beautiful illustration and the charming story seemed to pull her into the new world as it previously did before; deeper and darker into the heart of the story.

_Someone is calling for me. Who? Farid? Oh please be Farid. I haven't told you the thing I truly want to say to you. I haven't even started to get to know you. I want to see you again._

The darkness gave away to light.

"..Meggie, Meggie…" Someone was shaking her hard. "Meggie… oh my goodness, wake up."

_Stop shaking me!_ The words formed in her head but she couldn't make her mouth say them.

"Come back, don't go! Don't go there! Please, we need you here, in the real world."

_It's Mo's voice. What is he talking about? I'm not going anywhere. Why can't I open my eyes? Why can't I move?_

"Meggie, please…" The shaking suddenly stopped. Meggie felt a pair of arm enclosing her waist.

Mo's bear hug. She hadn't had that in years. Thinking back, she was a little bit of guilty when she pushed him away for the first time several years ago when he was trying to comfort her. Now the hug felt so warm, so full of energy, and so full of love.

A tear slid down her cheek.

Willing herself to move, she put her arms around Mo's broad shoulder with stiffness. Without realizing, she had gained back the control of her body.

Mo, surprised, pulled back suddenly.

"Oh Meggie…I thought I lost you again to that world…"

"No Mo, I'll stay here for now." Meggie said with a hint of a smile, knowing that she was missed. "Can I have the rest of my hug?"

Mo smiled too and whispered in her ear. "Sure."

"By the way, how do you know that I am going to the other world?" Meggie said over his shoulder.

"I come up to check on you. An open book is lying in front of you and you are flipping through it as you are mumbling something." Mo paused. "Suddenly you stop and…and you are fading. I can almost see through you when the pieces clicked together in my head and I start to shake you, hoping to wake you up or…or…"

"…or go with me to the other world, again." Meggie finished the sentence for him.

"Yeah." Mo said quietly.

"Why do you want to go back? I understand it is beautiful there and there will be no Capricorn now… and there will be Dustfinger…Fen…"Mo pulled back from the hug and looked Meggie in the eye. Something told him that it was not Meggie's fault.

"I am pulled into the book by some force. Partly, it is my fault because ever since Farid left, I have been behaving badly and wanted to escape the guilty feeling. However, you save me in time. I'm glad."

"Don't worry about it now. I'll take the books while you get some shut eye." Mo got up and walked to the door. "Don't scare me like that again, you hear?"

Meggie nodded and crawled undercover.

The door closed softly and Meggie drifted to an uneasy sleep.

Behind the other side of the door, Mo sighed and stroked the leather-like cover. Those books, Inkheart and now Inkspell were very dangerous even though they did not seem so. He must keep it safe both from the people who wanted to destroy it and to those who wished to enter it; unfortunately, that also includes Meggie and himself.

Unknowing of what the future might bring him; he locked them up in his secret, hidden safe in his workshop. Little did he know that someone was watching and copying down the code. And this special someone will make his daughter try again, to enter the book. Only this time, he is going to make sure that nobody interferes!

**_I know, it is a short chapter. I'll update soon since the winter break is coming up. How about this, I'll update again around Christmas and that will be my present to all of you!_**

_**Cheers**_

_**Sorceress Shadow Rain**_


	9. Shadow Within the Workshop

**I know I didn't update for a long time and I didn't keep my promise to update at Christmas, but I was truly busy and sorry. Hope you will accept my apology and please wait for me to update again. Spring Break is almost here so I have more time to write. grumble (I was kinda hoping for more reviews) grumble That's all, enjoy this chapter!**

Chapter 8

For the next few days, Meggie slept uneasily and when she was awake, she kept on seeing Farid, sometimes walking toward her, sometimes smiling and the most painful vision was when he was burning up with fire, the one friend that he loved so dearly. Those visions were slowly taking up most part of Meggie's attention.

Mo sense something was wrong. Meggie was staring into the distance more and more; sometimes it would be for over an hour. However, she won't say what did she see or why she ended up crying most of the time.

Nothing helped Meggie. She was getting weaker and weaker from not eating and not sleeping. It was almost like she was possessed. Doctor said that they don't know what caused this sudden illness, but they would try their hardest to find out. With that problem weighting in his mind, he went to his workshop, which was his favorite escaping spot, and try to think everything over again. He punched in the code for the door and stepped inside, not bothering to close the door behind him. Without realizing, another shadow slipped behind him before the door can fully come to a close and it blended into the surrounding bookshelves and equipments.

Mo sat down in his desk, head on his palm. That was when he noticed the note. The envelope was not opened and he had no idea how it got through the door with the passwords on it. Feeling the content inside, he confirmed that it was only a piece of paper.

Carefully breaking the seal, he found himself looking at a handwritten note. The beautiful printing stated that the author was a very neat and organized person who loved book and paper. The note read:

'If you want your daughter to be rid of the curse, get Inkheart out of that safe of yours and put the book on the table where you find the letter. As soon as you are done that, get out of here and get me that pie from the window where your wife leaves it. Put it beside the book and beat it!'

Carefully, Mo tucked the letter back into the envelope and hoped for the best as he opened his safe, taking care to cover up the number with another hand.

Blocking the entrance with his body, he took out Inkheart and closed the door. Then, he left it on the desk as instructed. He went out and brought the pie over. Normally, he would not permit any food or drinks in his workshop, but he allowed it this time for it was a special case.

Coming back into the workshop, he noticed that Inkheart was moved slightly to the left corner of the desk. Mo straightened the book and carefully put the pie a little bit away from the book so the juice will not stain the beautiful cover.

Looking around for the last time, he failed to notice a shirt corner jammed between two bookshelves. Closing the door behind him, he sighed. So much for his wish to protect the book!

He walked quickly into the kitchen and told Resa to follow him. On his way out of the kitchen, he bumped into Elinor and Darius. He told them to follow him too and together, they went into the library.

The library had a big window overlooking the yard. It was in there that Mo laid out the plan to capture the culprit. The workshop was in the center of a large field, surrounded by wooden fences. By pretending to do other work, the four of them can surround the little shack, armed with something to protect themselves, and kept an eye on who was inside or who was trying to get inside.

'Wait,' Resa wrote. 'you will stay here and alert us if you see anyone suspicious because if you go out there now, you will look like you are up to something.'

"I agree." Darius said, pulling himself up to his full height. "Since I am the only man that is going out there, I will cover the front, where the door is and the area slightly off to the left corner…"

"Right. And I will be covering half of the back and the rest of the left corner pretending I am reading on that bench." Elinor butted in and pointed to the bench overlooking the ocean." Resa can cover the rest by pretending to be a garder."

"But it is facing the opposite side of the shack!" Darius observed. "How will you be able to see the culprit?"

"How long have you known me? When I say that I will do it, that means I will do it! Besides, I'm known for having creative ideas." (she is being too sarcastic there…)

"I think your positions are fine but, I don't think we are fast enough if the culprit actually shows himself. We have to be prepared other than to see who it is." Mo paused for a minute.

"What do you propose?" Elinor asked.

"I think it would better if someone become the bait and let the culprit think that he or she is the weakest and easiest to pass by." Mo said slowly while checking on the workshop. He saw a movement in there. Quickly, he explained the rest of the plan. Everyone understands and got to work.

Meggie was dreaming about Farid when she was jogged out of her dream-like state. She immediately felt much better today than any other days. Something was bugging her though but what? She can't remember. Also, she didn't know what had made her feeling so sick for the past few days. Shrugging her shoulder, she got out of the bed. However her knees buckled and she fell on to the ground.

"Goodness, I need food!" she muttered to herself. After a minute, she called out. "Resa, Elinor, Mo…" Her voice faded to a croak. _And water._ She added silently.

Ten minutes passed and she heard the door slam downstairs. _Oh no, they are going out!_ Meggie laid on the floor, trying to gather enough strength to stand.

Another ten minutes passed and she felt much better. She stood up and carefully walked to the door of her room, pausing to get her breath back while holding on to the doorknob. Then, she moved slowly down the stairs, supported by the railings. Her knees ached but she made it down in one piece.

She went into the kitchen and got herself a glass of water. As she sipped, she glanced outside and froze in shock.

Resa was bending over her garden, absentmindedly pulling out weed and grass alike while glancing up at Mo's workshop every so often.

Elinor sat on the bench that she said she hated so much while pretending to read. Meggie could tell something was not right because she needed reading glasses and it was laying right beside her on the kitchen table as well as the fact that there was the cane that she bought only for display, was leaning beside her within an arm's reach.

Darius, closest to the house, was chopping firewood. Because he was clumsy and weak, Mo never let him do such things. Meggie watched as he swung the hatchet and almost dropping it on his own toes as he did so. He too, kept an eye on the workshop.

_Why are they out there acting so particular?_ Meggie wondered. _Where is Mo?_

In fact, Mo was no where to be found. Meggie was just about to yell for them to come back inside when she caught a glimpse of movement behind the workshop. A figure, thin and small, darted across the lawn towards Elinor.

Instantly, Elinor was on her feet and waving her canes, forcing him to the left or ran back toward the workshop. The shadow veered off to the left and continued toward the fence with a panting Darius behind him.

The boy, Meggie now see, climbed over the fence as fast as a monkey and dropped down on the other side. Meggie thought with pity that he got away.

Suddenly, there was a muffed shout and the sound of tackling. After a minute, Mo's voice can be heard. "I've got him and Inkheart."

_The boy is after Inkheart? _Meggie sat straight up, not caring that she had slammed down her cup. _Why and how in the world does he know about Inkheart?_

Mo forced the boy into the yard and then into the kitchen.

"Oh, you are up. How are you feeling?" Mo asked, breathless from the fight.

"I'm fine." Meggie said absentminded as she studied the captive. He was thin and dirty. His hair was gray from dust and his shirt was full of stains. His pants were ripped in couple of places and his feet were bare.

Elinor, Darius and Resa came in after Mo and they all stared at the boy in amazement.

"Goodness, this is our little thief?" Elinor exclaimed.

"Yes, the one who claimed that he cursed Meggie." Mo answered. "He even has the pie juice on him!"

Under better lighting, Meggie saw that the boy's eyes were filled with fear and tears. Using almost all her strength, she stood up and walked over to him.

The boy squirmed and tried to turn away but Mo held him firm.

Compared to Meggie, the boy come up to her shoulder. Meggie guessed that he was about twelve or thirteen. She stopped right in front of him, ignoring the awful smell, and studied him more. Just when she was about to open her mouth to speak, the boy beat her to it.

"I'm sorry, it is wrong to try to curse you and I learn that now. I will never curse you or your boyfriend again. I promise! I promise! Please, please, just please…" His voice faded.

Meggie turned first red for the mentioning of Farid as her boyfriend then white. _If I am truly cursed, then he cursed Farid too. That's why he died! Oh, I will never forgive that little rat, never! _Tears welled up in her eyes. Meggie was going to make him pay for Farid's death. She was determined to make his life hell!

**A new character had entered the story. What's his part in all of this? Can the little boy really curse people? Find out in the next chapter. (Man…I sound like I am advertising for some DVD or stuff…) Thanks for reading this chapter. If you know me and my writing, my grammar is always (and will always be) bad. However, don't let that ruin your reading. **

**Ok, this time I mean it. I will update as soon as there is TEN reviews.**

**Rain kisses…just kidding,**

**Shadow Rain**


	10. Hansel and his curse

**_Ah...after a year...I wonder how many reviews I would get this time...it's been so long that I hardly remember what I wrote and have to go back and reread the whole thing. lol. Anyways, hope those of you who continue to read my story enjoy what you can understand from me. XD_**

_Meggie turned first red for the mentioning of Farid as her boyfriend then white. If I am truly cursed, then he cursed Farid too. That's why he died! Oh, I will never forgive that little rat, never! Tears welled up in her eyes. Meggie was going to make him pay for Farid's death. She was determined to make his life hell!_

**Chapter 9**

Meggie raised her hand to strike the little boy. He flinched and closed his eyes, waiting for the blow to come. However, due to lack of food and water in the past couple of days, Meggie had became very weak. She collapsed onto the grass before she can complete her action.

Mo can tell Meggie's struggling to keep her anger and sadness of Farid's death down to the minimum so other people don't have to suffer her wrath, but the appearence of this boy had thrown her off balance all over again.

"Come on, let's get inside and then talk." He announced before dragging the little boy inside their house.

Resa and Elinor both came to Meggie's side and half lifted, half carried Meggie onto a stool beside the kitchen counter. After that, Resa made refreshment despite the tension in the air while Mo took Inkheart away from the boy. Meanwhile, Darius went around with Elinor to close and block all the possible exit. It was after the preparation was done before Mo let go of the boy.

The boy assessed his situation and with a sigh, he sat down onto the floor and started to munch on a cookie that Resa gave him. Meggie said nothing as she played with her food. Once in awhile, she would put a small piece into her mouth.

"So..." Mo began after sipping his tea, "start by telling us your name."

"What are you going to do with me?" the boy ignored Mo's request and asked.

"It will depend on your coorperation. If you tell us what we need to know, then we won't hand you to the police." Mo said sternly.

"The police? What's that?" the boy asked, again, avoiding Mo's request.

Everybody froze and stared at the little boy. He does not know what a police is! Suddenly, Meggie has a theory. She said with a hoarse voice, "you came from somewhere special am I right?"

The boy simply stared at her. Then he nodded once and then twice.

"What's your name? We can't keep on calling you, boy." Mo said, making his voice soft again after sensing the boy might answer some question. He figured out that it all depends on how he phrased the question.

"Ah, my name is Hansel. Ma'am, may I get another cookie for answering your question?" the boy asked Resa. Resa smiled and went to fitch the jar of cookies.

The room went silent except for Resa's soft steps. Everybody is trying to make the connecting of this boy to Inkheart. Meggie drank her water and with a clearer voice this time, she asked, "are you the boy from the story, Hansel and Gretel?"

Hansel paused in the middle of chewing his cookie and looked up, "you know of me and my sister?"

"oh, a bit." Meggie said. What she just heard confirmed what she thought. Hansel was just a character from a story, just like Farid. At the thought of Farid, Meggie unconsciously hugged herself. Looking around the room, she could tell that everybody is thinking what she was just thinking. "We know the story of you and your sister and how a witch tricked you guys by having a lot of sweets for both of you and then end up imprisoning you while making your sister work. Then, together, you guys defeated the witch and reunited with your father. However, Hansel, we don't know what happened after that. Would you care to tell us?" Meggie said in the sweetest possible way. "We will give you the whole jar of cookie if you tell us."

At the mention of more sweet reward for his story, Hansel willingly agreed. "Well, my life turned very weird after we took left the witch's house. As you might know, we took some of the jewels with us so we may spend it to find our father. We did find my father but one of the jewels...it has some kind of curse on it. When I touched it, I discovered that I have the ability to wish anybody ill and I am able to reverse the curse as well. I loved my newly gained ability and still do. Then one day, when Gretel and I were walking home, I suddenly feel like something was calling me. Not someone, but something. I couldn't move or ran away as I watched the world I knew so well disappeared before my eyes and an old man with a group of youngster replaced my surroundings." Gretel started on another cookie.

Meggie and Mo exchanged glances. They knew this experience well.

"I was scared at first because of the abnormal change, but soon, I became more confident as I realized the people around me are more surprised or scared than me. So I loudly demanded to know where am I and what they've done to me. I even threatened to curse them all. Then that old man approached me. What was his name again? Mmmm...I can't remember. It starts with a F though...anyways, you don't need that much detail or we'll going to be here for hours. Mmmm...well, he approached me and led me away from the group. He sort of explained what had happened to me, but I didn't understand so I forgot. However, he said, if I can do something for him, then he would send me back to where I was. Of course, I tried to threaten him into just sending me home but that old man is soo stubborn, so I finally agreed to his deal."

"You didn't hurt him did you?" Meggie asked, a bit worried.

"Well...nothing that couldn't heal if given some time..." Hansel said.

Meggie gritted her teeth. This boy hurted Fenoglio and now, killed Farid! He was going to get a piece of mind from her after they've known his full story!

"What was his deal?" Mo asked, interested.

"The deal was for me to protect a blue binded book!" He then pointed towards Inkheart. "Also, I was told to find that book and bring it back to him. He also told me other abilities I can do with my cursing skills. I can also track objects now. He just told me to track the book named 'Inkheart' and bring it back to him."

Meggie and Mo exchanged another look. "So you are saying that you found the book...using tracking?" Mo asked, incredulous.

"Mm-hm." The boy nodded, proud of himself. "and I've been watching you guys for days now. I know everything needed to get the book. For example, I know your name is Mo...although I don't think it's your real name. And I know that the shed belong to you and you have Inkheart. I also know your name..." He turned to point at Meggie. "You are Meggie and your boyfriend is Farid."

Meggie muttered, "Don't talk about him. He is not my boyfriend."

"Oh?" Hansel said, surprised. "You guys surely don't act like it. Well, I followed him here knowing he had Inkheart. Anyways, you should know, he's seeing somebody else as well."

"Tell us about how you've gotten into this world." Mo interupted, knowing Hansel is tearing up Meggie's heart.

"Mm...I'm not too sure about that. I never truly understood how I arrived at that old man's place so I never understood how I gotten into your world. I know it is somewhat similar to what I've gone through to get to the old man's because it has a similar feel to it." the boy scratched his head. "However, I do know that we are in a different world because I can't find that old man anymore using my tracking ability. I also tried to locate Inkheart while I was in that old man's world and it never responded."

"What never responded?" Mo asked.

"Se-cret!" The boy said, smiling. Mo clubbed him over the head.

"Okay, okay. It's the ability that the old man taught me. You see, he somehow knew of my ring's power. This is the jewelery that give me the ability to curse people. I am also cursed because I cannot take it off and the old man told me that it also cut short my life." He shrugged. "Each time I curse an object or thing, I have an invisible thread that only I could see that is attact to that person. It won't disappear unless the curse is fulfilled or I break it myself. So if I follow a particular thread, I can find the object of my cursing." The boy said proudly.

"Mmm...where did you find yourself when you came into this world?" Mo asked.

"Oh...a place with lots of books and a lot of people running around." He turned and pointed to Elinor and then Darius. "They were there and so was Farid. He took the book that I was supposed to protect and Inkheart. Now you have it. I want it so I may go home." He said to Mo.

"Interesting..." Mo ignored his demands. "You said earlier that you cursed Meggie and Farid. What exactly did you curse them"

"Se-cret!" Hansel sang and started to munch on another cookie. Mo was about to hit him again before Resa stopped him by standing between them.

Mo growled. "Resa, why are you protecting him! He cursed our daughter."

Resa did not move. Defiance shone in both of her eyes. Mo regarded his wife for a moment before sighing. "Fine then, Hansel. You don't have to tell me what it is, but please, would you kindly remove any curses that you've placed on anybody here."

Hansel smiled. "No. Give me the books then I will."

"Answer me this first," Meggie's voice rang out, breaking the tension between Mo and Hansel. Resa moved away to fetch another round of refreshments. "How do you plan to get back."

"Oh yeah, that might be a bit of a problem. The old man told me to find this 'Silvertongue'. However, my ring revealed that he's not in this world." Hansel replied.

Mo and Meggie exchanged a look before Mo spoke softly. "Well, lad, you've found him. I'm Silvertongue."

"What?!" The boy exclaimed. "You have two aliases?"

Mo laughed at the boy's surprise. "You have to answer this one more question before you have any chance of going to any other worlds. The question is, what happened to Farid?"

Hansel looked at Mo for a long time, the half eaten cookie forgotten. "Fine. You want to know about Farid? Well, I'll tell you what I know."

Meggie leaned in. Her eyes fixed on the boy even though she knew what he is going to say. She also know that hearing the words would shatter her heart into pieces once more. She'd have to pick up the pieces by herself all over again.

"Farid. I cursed him to have a little accident, that's all. For all I know, he is not in this world anymore." Hansel said, serious for once.

Meggie launched out of her chair. She couldn't take it anymore. She could feel her heart breaking and the tears forming. Most of all, she is angry, more than she was ever before. Meggie just wanted to wrung that little neck...

"...but, I also know for a fact that he is alive." Hansel added.

Meggie froze, and so did everybody else.

**_Whew! Chapter 9 is finally finished. Mmm...where is Farid and what would Meggie do now? Will Basta and his gangs make another appearence? What about Hansel? What will happen to him? Maybe all those questions would be answered in the next chapter, so stay tuned (if you can ! )  
I wish everybody a happy summer!  
Until next chapter,  
Rain kisses!_**

**_Sorceress Shadow Rain_**


	11. What Happened, Hansel?

**I know that the third book is already out as well as the movie, but I just want to remind readers that this story still takes place right after Inkheart, the first book, since that's when I started writing this Fanfic. I know it's been long, everybody, but I hope you still can enjoy this belated chapter.**

**Chapter 10**

_Previously:_

_"Farid. I cursed him to have a little accident, that's all. For all I know, he is not in this world anymore." Hansel said, serious for once._

_Meggie launched out of her chair. She couldn't take it anymore. She could feel her heart breaking and the tears forming. Most of all, she is angry, more than she was ever before. Meggie just wanted to wring that little neck..._

_"...but, I also know for a fact that he is alive." Hansel added._

_Meggie froze, and so did everybody else._

Oblivious to his surroundings, Hansel picked up another cookie and chewed. "These cookies are very good. They are even better than the ones on the witch's porch steps!"

Mo was the first person to snap out of the shocking news. "Well, that's probably the silver lining for today. Since Farid is no longer in this world, we can't do anything for him anymore." He looked pointedly at Meggie.

Meggie ignored Mo's stare and seemed thoughtful.

"We still have Basta, Flatnose and Cockerell to deal with." Elinor said matter-of-factly. "Even without Capricorn this time, those three can do a lot of damage to our world. I do not want them destroying my precious library again!"

"D…didn't F…farid say that they are after us?" Darius whispered fearfully. "We should move away to another country or something, where they won't find us."

"They will always find us. As long as we have the books, they will be after us…always." Mo said with a sigh. "But first, we need to know why Fenoglio had sent us this sequel to Inkheart."

"Can I have these books now?" Hansel asked. "I told you what you wanted…"

"How did Fenoglio know that you would be coming here?" Meggie interrupted.

"Who?" Hansel looked puzzled. "The old man, you mean? I think he's just got this hunch or something like that. He just gave me the book and those really creepy men that came with me saw Fenoglio and gave him a chase. One grabbed me shoulder..." He rubbed his left shoulder, "And one threatened me with a knife. I couldn't take it anymore and I told him if he doesn't let me go in the next couple of seconds, I'm going to curse him. Funny thing, he was scared out of his wits by that comment as if he believed me. I mean, nobody really believed me before when I made that threat…"

An amused smiled tugged at the corner of Elinor's mouth. "Ha! That superstitious coward!" Mo rudely shushed her, eager to hear Hansel's story. Elinor bit her tongue since right now was not a good time for her to reclaim her injured pride.

"What happened after that?" Mo asked.

"Well, the road got a bit dusty and I couldn't see much. All I know is that three creepy men surrounded me and they want the book that the old man had just given me. Since I made a deal with the old man, and I wanna go home, so I didn't really give them anything." The boy helped himself to another round of refreshments that Resa had brought them. Talking and stuffing his face with cookies at the same time, Hansel continued. "Sen see tickly beeling starlid."

"Then the tingling feeling started." Mo translated for the rest of people in the room since he is the closest one to Hansel and also, probably the only one who understood him. However, he was also a victim of Hansel's cookie spits. Gently, Resa took out a cookie from Hansel's gaping mouth and inserted a glass of lemonade into his hands. Hansel took everything greedily.

"Well, I think we are making quite a progress here." Elinor said as she too, took a glass of lemonade and drank. "These are good, Resa. But I don't think lemonade would help us fight Basta and his gang when they burst through that door."

Annoyed, Mo retorted. "Then what do you propose, Elinor? Rush out there without a plan or any background information and hope that we won't see Basta, Flatnose or Cockerell along the way? Can you be more patient?"

"Patient? We are going to be here until the moon lit up the sky at this rate." Elinor retorted back. "You want the story? Fine, I'll give you the story."

Elinor stood and took away the tray of cookies from the tabletop and held them away from Hansel. "Okay, young man. Start squawking or you will never see those wonderful cookies again."

"Give these back!" Hansel stood and vainly tried to reach for the tray while Mo tried to restrict him from leaping onto Elinor.

Elinor took a cookie and dangled in front of Hansel's nose, "So what comes after the tingling feeling?"

"IstuffthebookintomywaistbandandheldontotwooftheguysbecauseIwanttoseeifthey'dcomewithmetoanotherworld." Hansel said it all it a single breath while struggling to bite off a bit of cookies that Elinor still held.

"Talk slower and this cookie would be yours." Elinor said and gave the cookie another shake.

The boy took a big breath and said evenly, "I stuff the book…the blue one, into my waistband and I grabbed the jacket of two of the creepy guys…I just want to see if they could go between the worlds too or is it just me. If it's just me then I guess I have a new talent. May I please have the cookie?"

"Well, if everybody else came out of the story weird. No offense, Darius. Then, shouldn't he be a bit weird too?" Meggie pointed out.

"Answer that question!" Elinor commanded as she picked up another cookie since Hansel had already finished the previous one.

For the first time since they've met the boy, he seemed embarrassed and almost ashamed. "I don't wanna say. You can't make me…not even with c..cookies." He muttered as he eyed the cookie that Elinor was holding. He had stopped struggling but Mo still held him around the waist.

"What is it? You looked fine; your voice is still here, you can walk, talk and eat like an elephant. So what is it?" Elinor snapped.

Shamefully, Hansel reached back behind his ears and untied the dirty bandana that he wears to keep his hair off of his face. When he releases it, some hair fell out to reveal bald spots on top of his golden head. Everybody around the room gasped either shockingly or sympathetically.

"I'm so sorry." Darius breathed. "I'm so very sorry."

"Yeah, well. You should be but I don't know what you've done to be sorry for, but you should be sorry for even making me showing you this. I hope my hair is going to grow back. I really liked them." Hansel retied his bandana.

Out of sympathy, Elinor gave him another cookie.

"Well, if Farid is in another book now, I hope he is happy and I hope that he would find happiness again… and Gwan…" Meggie murmured.

"Well, Silvertongue here could read you back into your story, providing that if we could find a copy of Hansel and Gretel here." Elinor said as she absentmindedly looking around the room. Resa jumped up from her seat beside Darius and dashed off somewhere.

"One more thing before I read you back," Mo said as he turned Hansel around so that he was facing him. "Did you ever curse those creepy men?"

Hansel pumped his head. "Oh yes I did. They don't get away with threatening me so easily. I said that in less than a week, they would get into a fire accident, the same curse as the one I gave your boyfriend," he pointed at Meggie, "and they would all die."

"Let me guess, they are no longer in this world as well?" Meggie said testily.

"No, they are still here, and I know where they are." Hansel said in a quieter voice.

"Where?" They all asked simultaneously.

"There." Hansel pointed towards the pantry window and everybody turned around and for the second time that day, they all froze.

**A shorter chapter this time, just wrapping up some details. What will happen next since Basta and his gang had already found them? Would Hansel ever go back to his world again? What about Farid? Which story is he in right now and how did he get there? There must be another Silvertongue on the loose. All this, in the coming up future…**

**Until then,**

**Rain Kisses!**

**Sorceress Shadow Rain**


	12. Villians got a new boss

**Chapter 11**

_Previously:_

"_One more thing before I read you back," Mo said as he turned Hansel around so that he was facing him. "Did you ever curse those creepy men?"_

_Hansel pumped his head. "Oh yes I did. They don't get away with threatening me so easily. I said that in less than a week, they would get into a fire accident, the same curse as the one I gave your boyfriend," he pointed at Meggie, "and they would all die."_

"_Let me guess, they are no longer in this world as well?" Meggie said testily._

"_No, they are still here, and I know where they are." Hansel said in a quieter voice._

"_Where?" They all asked simultaneously._

"_There." Hansel pointed towards the pantry window and everybody turned around and for the second time that day, they all froze._

"Oh, you spoiled it, kid." Cockerell said as he put down his foot. He was about to kick the door open, but now, since the cat was already out of the bag, he just used the regular, old method of opening doors – turning the door knob.

Everybody in the room stood up and watched silently as Cockerell entered as well as Flatnose who stood on Cockerell's shoulder, looking like a miniature devil with a flat nose and Basta, who was holding a knife and moving his mouth. No sound came out. The scene is almost laughable if you forget about the guns held by Cockerell and that knife that had convinced a lot of people that it was not fake glimmering in the afternoon sun.

Mo moved a fraction of a step.

"Don't even think about it!" Cockerell sneered. "We are not alone here. There is a team of…What did the boss called them?" He paused to listen to Flatnose's whisper, "Oh yes, gangs, oh? Not a team… but anyways, I'm really supposed to tell you that…"

Basta clubbed him over the head with the hilt of the knife. Then, he motioned for Cockerell to circle behind the group so they can surround them.

"Boss?" Meggie couldn't help herself, "What boss?"

"Oh, we've found someone in this world who wants to hire us. He has the same ability as Silvertongue and his daughter, you see, and he wants...Ow, ow…okay." Cockerell started to explain, but was interrupted by Flatnose who pulled on his hair.

"Remember, no explaining!" Flatnose said with his high-pitched voice. "Boss' order."

"Right." Cockerell muttered. Now, he was completely behind the group and Basta started to lead them out of the tiny kitchen. Then, he stopped suddenly and whirled around, motioning with his knife and mouthing the words.

"Okay guys, sit back down. I can't see my leader." Cockerell said as he poked his gun at Mo's back. Obediently, everybody sat. Hansel stole another cookie off of the tray that Elinor had set down on the table top when Cockerell burst in.

"What?" Cockerell was trying to understand what Basta wanted to say. "O Bog?"

"No no, it's 'The log!" Flatnose corrected.

"The…mmm….fog? Oh? It's not it? Then...frog? Dog? Hog? Fog? …no, I already said that…what else rhyme with fog?" Cockerell thought out aloud. Basta clubbed him over the head again and shook his head furiously.

"Mmm…I don't understand you," Flatnose stretched his arms to his side and turned his palms up – the universal body language for 'I don't know what the heck you are trying to say'.

"He was trying to say 'The Book' you idiots! Gosh, listening to you guys talk is a pain of it's own! If you want to kill us, just kill us already! Just don't torture us with your dumb conversation…or the lack of one." Elinor cried out with frustration. Only after she said what she had, did she realize that it was not a great idea to give them a clue. Mo glared at her viciously but did not comment.

Basta was nodding and pointing to Elinor but ignored the insult. Cockerell smacked his own forehead and said, "Right, boss, The Book." He turned to face his little audience, "Well, you heard the boss, he wants the book, now where is Inkheart?"

"I have it in my shop." Mo said finally. "I'll go and get it, just don't hurt anyone."

"You are not going anywhere. Where is your shop?" Cockerell asked nastily.

"Down in the garden, you passed it on the way here." Mo said innocently. His heels made small movements as he tried to kick Inkheart beneath the sofa a bit more. He just wants to buy them some time so that Resa would know what happened down here and hope that she would call for help.

"Down by the garden…" Cockerell repeated as his brain registered and processed what Mo just said. "Oh shoot…" He dashed towards the door and poked his head out of the frame. "Hey you idiots, stop that fire! We need that shad…shade?"

"Shed." Elinor corrected. "It's almost a crime that he is calling somebody else an 'idiot'." She muttered under her breath.

Suddenly, they all heard sirens getting closer and closer. At first, Basta and his gangs didn't know what the sound was or where it was coming from. Then suddenly, Cockerell remembered, "It's that sound that Big Boss played on that tape when he tried to tell us what to do, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah," Flatnose added, "we are supposed to leave I think."

"We don't have enough time then." Cockerell said, "Shall we just take the girl and her father?"

Basta thought for a minute and nodded. Without another word, the three captors took the two selected hostages and hustled them out of the door. Within minutes, they disappeared over the fence, toward the ocean.

For five full minutes, nobody moved, not even Hansel who had a cookie half-chewed in his mouth. Then, Elinor broke down in Darius' arms and sobbed. "I knew we should have moved after Meggie's incident at sea, but Mo won't listen, he said that without Capricorn, Basta and his gangs have no other reason to attack us if they don't know that we have Inkheart."

"No, honey, it's n..not your f..fault, nor is it M..Mortimer's." Darius gently and awkwardly hugged Elinor's thin frame. Looking around, he realized that the boy, Hansel was still here and Resa had came downstairs, with a copy of Hansel and Gretel, but there is nobody to read the boy back in safely.

Reaching underneath the sofa, Hansel brought out Inkheart and dusted the cover.

"I suppose you are going to bolt now that you have what you wanted." Darius said bitterly.

"No, I think not." Hansel said and turned to Resa. "I like you Ma'am and I want to help you. My curse with Meggie still stands so I would be able to trace her wherever she is. I also know the password to Mo's safe in his shop; that is, if it still recognizable. Inside Mo's safe, there is Inkspell, which we might want to bring along as well."

Resa nodded encouragingly. Taking a piece of paper, she wrote, 'I appreciate it a lot that you are helping us, Hansel'

Hansel smiled shyly and said, "No worries, I need at least one of the Silvertongues, by the sound of things, to get back home."

By this time, Elinor had stopped sobbing and was listening to the conversations dispite of the wail of sirens outside. "Okay, here is the plan. Hansel, you take us to wherever they took Mo and Meggie. We'll have to kidnap them back because we can't possibly get the police or any army forces involved. Who would have believed us? Then, we got to find out why Fenoglio sent us Inkspell. Somebody got to read the story...Then, once we get Meggie and Mo back, we'll read Hansel back into his own world and hopefully, Farid out of whatever story he is in, and…mm…" She trailed off.

"Sounds confusing." The boy said. "Anyways, we can come up with a decent plan while we are traveling. However, somebody has to deal with whoever that scared those creepy men away."

"Yes, I'll cover that." Elinor stood up. "Resa could pack and you," she pointed at Hansel. "you can help by getting us Inkspell and don't you even think about running after you've gotten your hands on both of the books. God knows how many cookies you own Resa."

The boy smirked. "Don't worry, I won't betray your trust and I promise."

That was one promise that Elinor does not count on.

*

Meggie was dreaming again. She was standing in a meadow. Far away, there was a ruin that once was a beautiful castle. She shifted her gaze and saw Farid, walking towards her while smiling. Her heart did a double flip and seemed to heal itself. She rushed towards Farid as if he was the only source of light in a dark tunnel. She could hear Farid's laughter as he too, rushed toward her. She could also hear the sound of waves, crashing against something.

Ocean.

Why would there be ocean in this peaceful meadow. Suddenly, the scene changed and she was back on that night when she almost drowned. However, instead of being limp in her father's arms, she was standing a few feet in front of Farid.

His face looked so pale and sad. He reached out as Mo took her own limp form in his strong arms and lifted her up. He reached and grasped her cold forearm, then her tiny wrist and finally, her frozen fingers. There was no response from her. He knew that she needed help and she probably is going to die. Nobody can survive the cold ocean for that long. He remembered that there was no breathing when he was doing the CPR and that might be the first time and the last time he would ever kiss her.

So cold and freezing, she looked like a ghost and he doubted that he would be able to rekindle her fire. On that beach that night, reality came crashing down upon Farid. Dustfinger was gone, now Meggie. Even the fire on his palms that usually comforted Farid on the loneliest days seems to be unfriendly and cold.

As Mo moved away, Farid's first thought was that Mo was taking Meggie away from him. _Don't go!_ His mind screamed. _Don't go, Meggie! Not when I had just find you again after such long years._ However, his mouth did not move and no sound came out.

Kneeling on the beach with crashing waves pushing at his back, he was tempted to run after Mo. It was then he realized something about himself that he never dared to acknowledge, something that would hurt him a lot. "I…I love you, Meggie. I love you. Why did you die? Why didn't I tell you this earlier?" He whispered and buried his face in his hands. When he looked up, Mo had already disappeared.

Slowly, he struggled to stand up. He could not face the fact of Meggie's death, nor the fact that if he went back to the house again, he would have to see Meggie's deathly pale face that would probably haunt his future dreams. He can't believe his bad luck. Moving seemed to be an impossible thing at that time, but somehow, he managed it and started to walk away in the opposite direction of Meggie's house.

Meggie, seeing all this and feeling it all too, was stunned and shocked. Reaching out, she attempted to grab Farid to tell him that she was alive, but her arms couldn't move. In fact, it was pinned to her back. She tried to run after him, but she couldn't either. Looking down at her feet, she only saw blackness of the ocean. Looking back up again, Farid was gone and her dream, along with her heart, shattered into pieces.

I was tired of all those action plots, just thought to throw in some more romance in the mix. Hopefully, you've enjoyed this chapter.

Until next chapter,

Rain Kisses

Sorceress Shadow Rain


End file.
